Shoulder pillow

ABSTRACT

A foam pillow for supporting the head of a child on an individual&#39;s shoulder. The pillow includes a centrally located top support portion and a pair of gripping portions connected to and extending downward from opposing sides of the top support portion, thereby forming the general shape of an upside down U with a centrally located hollow portion for attaching to the individual&#39;s shoulder. The pillow may further include a removable fabric pillowcase.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/089,427, filed on Aug. 15, 2008, the teachings of which are expresslyincorporated by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present invention generally relates to a pillow or cushion, and moreparticularly relates to a pillow used to support the head of a childwhen the child's head rests upon another individual's shoulder.

2. Related Art

A pillow design does not exist that is specifically and ergonomicallydesigned to fit on one individual's shoulder for the purpose ofsupporting a child's head resting upon the individual's shoulder. Otherpillows are designed to support the head and neck of the user, but donot fit on another individual's shoulder.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to a pillow designed and configured ina generally upside down U-shape so as to be placed on an individual'sshoulder. The pillow may then be used to support a child's head restingon the individual's shoulder as the child is held in the individual'sarms. This design allows the child to lay his or her head on theshoulder of the individual without discomfort to either the child or theindividual.

The pillow features an ergonomic design that contours to the shoulder ofan individual and lets the pillow sit atop the shoulder withoutdiscomfort. Due to the unique design, gravity and friction keep thepillow in place on the individual's shoulder without the need for anytype of attaching device.

The pillow can be made from various foam materials, including, but notlimited to, polyurethane, latex, memory foam materials such asvisco-elastic polyurethane, and/or combinations of foam materials.

The pillow may be covered with a removable pillowcase. The pillowcase isdesigned to slip over the pillow. The pillowcase may be designed to stayin place via a securing device, such as hook-and-loop, snaps, buttons,or other fasteners known in the art, or may be designed to stay in placewithout the need for any such securing devices. Various types ofmaterials may be used for the pillowcase, including, but not limited to,cotton, satin, micro-fiber, flannel, and other natural or syntheticfabrics known within the art. The pillowcase may be easily removed forwashing purposes and may feature various colors and designs that areattractive to children and/or parents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view showing the pillow in use,with a child and an adult individual shown in phantom;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the pillow according tothe present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view showing the shape and design ofone embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofthe presently preferred embodiment of the invention, and is not intendedto represent the only form in which the present invention may beconstructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions andsequences of steps for constructing and operating the invention. It isto be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions andsequences may be accomplished by different embodiments and that they arealso intended to be encompassed within the scope of the invention.

One embodiment of the present invention contemplates a foam pillow 10.The foam pillow includes a centrally located top support portion 12 anda pair of gripping portions 14, 16. The gripping portions 14, 16 areconnected to and extend in a downwardly fashion from opposing sides ofthe top support portion 12. The result is a pillow 10 having the generalshape of an upside down U. In particular, there is a hollow 18 locatedcentrally between the top support portion 12 and the pair of grippingportions 14, 16. The pillow 10 is designed so that the hollow 18 fitsatop an individual's shoulder, with the gripping portions 14, 16extending to the front and rear, respectively, of the individual'sshoulder. Between gravity maintaining the top portion 12 atop theindividual's shoulder and friction and the elastic tension of the foamgripping portions 14, 16, the pillow 10 is able to remain on theindividual's shoulder without the need for any attaching devices.Furthermore, the elasticity of the pillow 10 allows the pillow 10 toshape and conform to any individual's shoulder resulting in a one sizefits all device. The rigidity of the foam enables the pillow 10 toproperly support and maintain a child's head in place, thereby removingthe neck strain common in supporting the child's head directly on theindividual's shoulder. Additionally, the elasticity of the foam used inthe pillow 10 prevents unreasonable force being applied to the child'sear, thereby preventing hurt or red ears that may be experienced withoutthe use of the pillow 10.

The foam pillow 10 may additionally include a removable pillowcase 20.The pillowcase 20 may be configured to encase substantially all of thetop support portion 12 and pair of gripping portions 14, 16. Theremovable pillowcase 20 may be formed from cotton, satin, flannel, amicrofiber, or any natural or synthetic fabrics known within the art.The pillowcase 20 is separate and removable to allow for easy cleaningof the pillowcase 20. The pillowcase 20 may include various brightcolors and pleasing designs or artwork that may be designed to appeal tochildren and/or their parents. The pillowcase 20 may cover and stay inplace encompassing the pillow 10 without the need for any fasteners.However, the pillowcase 20, may include fasteners known in the art, suchas hook-and-loop, buttons, snaps, and the like if desired.

The top support portion 12 and pair of gripping portions 14, 16 may beformed from a unitary piece of foam material. This foam material may bepolyurethane, latex, visco-elastic polyurethane, or other foammaterials, including memory foam materials, known in the art.Alternatively, the top support portion 12 and pair of gripping portions14, 16 may be formed from a combination of foam materials. Inparticular, the top portion 12 may be formed from one type of foammaterial and the gripping portions 14, 16 may be formed from a secondtype of foam material. In one embodiment, the top portion 12 may beformed from a visco-elastic polyurethane and the gripping portions 14,16 may be formed from polyurethane. In another embodiment of theinvention, the top portion 12 and gripping portions 14, 16 may be formedfrom different grades of visco-elastic polyurethane.

The pillow 10 envisioned by the present application is highly portable,and may be transported easily in a purse or diaper bag. In addition, thepillow 10 may include a tether device, such as a lanyard style clip,that attaches on one end to the pillow 10 and on the other end to theclothing of the child or individual. The tether device may be used toprevent the cushion from hitting the ground in case the pillow 10 isaccidentally removed from the individual's shoulder.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein, including various types of foam or pillowcasematerials. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosedherein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other andare not intended to be limited to the specific combination describedherein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by theillustrated embodiments.

1. A foam pillow comprising a centrally located top support portion anda pair of gripping portions connected to and extending downward fromopposing sides of the top support portion, wherein the pillow is in thegeneral shape of an upside down U with a hollow located centrallybetween the top support portion and the pair of gripping portions. 2.The foam pillow of claim 1, additionally comprising a removablepillowcase configured to encase substantially all of the top supportportion and pair of gripping portions.
 3. The foam pillow of claim 2,wherein the removable pillowcase is formed from a material selected fromthe group consisting of cotton, satin, flannel, or a syntheticmicrofiber.
 4. The foam pillow of claim 1, wherein the top supportportion and pair of gripping portions are formed from a unitary piece offoam material.
 5. The foam pillow of claim 4, wherein the top supportportion and pair of gripping portions are formed from a foam selectedfrom the group consisting of polyurethane, latex, and visco-elasticpolyurethane.
 6. The foam pillow of claim 1, wherein the top supportportion and pair of gripping portions are formed from a combination offoam materials, such that the top portion is formed from one type offoam material and the gripping portions are formed from a second type offoam material.
 7. The foam pillow of claim 6, wherein the top portion isformed from a visco-elastic polyurethane and the gripping portions areformed from polyurethane.
 8. The foam pillow of claim 6, wherein the topportion and gripping portions are formed from different grades ofvisco-elastic polyurethane.